Light It Up will make his Group 1 debut in the 2015 The Goodwood and trainer Ryan Balfour admits that the promising gelding will need to go to another level to be competitive at Morphettville on Saturday.
Light It Up will make his debut at Group 1 level in the 2015 The Goodwood in Adelaide this weekend. Photo by: Jenny Barnes
Light It Up has been set for the Group 1 The Goodwood (1200m) since he finished second behind Riziz in the Group 3 Spring Stakes (1200m) at Morphettville in August of last year and Balfour told Racing Ahead that he was happy to stick to the plan that his team put together over nine months ago.
“We set him for this a long time ago,” Balfour said.
“He ran second to Riziz in the Spring Stakes last year and he was quite badly weighted in that race at weight-for-age and he really ran well.
“He has matured with a good spell underneath him.
“We know that he is going to have to bring his A game plus some, but getting drawn so well he can probably follow the likes of Hucklebuck into the race.
“We are happy to have a go and see where he measures up.
“We accepted Saturday and we know that it is a big ask, but it is on our own track across the road, we have set it for him and we are happy to have a throw at the stumps.”
Light It Up started his autumn campaign with a credible effort on March 7 and he took out the SAJC Life Member Handicap (1200m) at Morphettville on March 21 before he finished a close second at the same venue on April 11.
Balfour elected to step-up Light It Up to 1400 metres for the Listed City Of Adelaide Handicap (1400m) but he did not beat home a runner before he produced an improved effort in the Peter Elberg Funerals Handicap (1200m) last weekend.
The rising trainer admits that Light It Up’s recent form that not read particularly strong on paper, but he believes that the gelding has had excuses and will receive a better run into the race when he jumps from barrier two in The Goodwood this weekend.
“His first-up run was fantastic, his second-up run was good as well and we stepped him out to 1400 because we were thinking of changing course after his second-up run towards the mile Group 3 on Saturday, but it is just a run we would like to forget,” Balfour said.
“He didn’t have any favors that day and he is actually unplaced on the Parks track and all his good form is on the big track.
“We put him back in at 1200 before this and we thought that he was very unlucky behind Mubakkir.”
Light It Up is currently available at 2015 The Goodwood odds of $101 with Ladbrokes, while Hucklebuck ($4.40) remains a narrow favourite from Black Heart Bart ($4.80), Lucky Hussler ($6.50) and Under The Louvre ($9).
